October 7, 2024
On September 23, 2024, Canada’s Competition Bureau announced that the federal Competition Tribunal (Tribunal) had found that Cineplex Inc. (Cineplex), a Canadian theatre chain, had engaged in drip pricing by adding a mandatory and insufficiently disclosed $1.50 online booking fee for the online sale of movie tickets (see: Competition Bureau wins deceptive marketing case against Cineplex)
The Tribunal ordered Cineplex to pay an administrative monetary penalty of more than $38.9 million and legal costs. This penalty is equivalent to the amount that Cineplex collected from theatre consumers from the time of the introduction of its online booking fee from June 2022 until December 2023.
In making its announcement, the Competition Bureau said:
“The Tribunal’s decision in the Cineplex case is a resounding win for Canadians. It sends a strong message that businesses should not engage in drip pricing and need to display their full prices upfront. Businesses that fail to comply with the law risk significant financial penalties.”
September 25, 2024
On September 23, 2024, Canada’s Competition Bureau announced that the federal Competition Tribunal had found that Cineplex Inc. (Cineplex), a Canadian theatre chain, had engaged in drip pricing by adding a mandatory and insufficiently disclosed $1.50 online booking fee (see: Competition Bureau wins deceptive marketing case against Cineplex).
The Competition Tribunal ordered Cineplex to pay an administrative monetary penalty of more than $38.9 million and legal costs. This penalty is equivalent to the amount that Cineplex collected from theatre consumers from the time of the introduction of the online booking fee in June 2022 until December 2023.
July 9, 2024
OVERVIEW OF BILL C-59 AMENDMENTS
TO THE COMPETITION ACT
On June 20, 2024, Bill C-59 was passed, which introduced the third of three recent significant rounds of amendments to Canada’s federal Competition Act (together with amendments that were passed in June 2022 and December 2023).
July 5, 2024
OVERVIEW OF BILL C-59 AMENDMENTS
TO THE COMPETITION ACT
On June 20, 2024, Bill C-59 was passed, which introduced the third of three recent significant rounds of amendments to Canada’s federal Competition Act (together with amendments that were passed in June 2022 and December 2023).
July 1, 2024
OVERVIEW OF BILL C-59 AMENDMENTS
TO THE COMPETITION ACT
On June 20, 2024, Bill C-59 was passed, which introduced the third of three recent significant rounds of amendments to Canada’s federal Competition Act (together with amendments that were passed in June 2022 and December 2023).
June 20, 2024
On June 20, 2024, Bill C-59 was passed, introducing the second of two recent significant rounds of amendments to Canada’s federal Competition Act (the first round introduced by Bill C-56).
This new round of amendments to the Competition Act completes a sweeping overhaul of Canada’s Competition Act across virtually all key provisions of Canada’s competition legislation. These amendments are also the most significant changes to Canadian competition law since the modern Competition Act came into effect in 1986 replacing the former Combines Investigation Act.
May 16, 2024
RECENT AND PROPOSED COMPETITION ACT
AMENDMENTS (BILLS C-56 AND C-59)
On December 15, 2023, Bill C-56 (An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act and the Competition Act), which introduced the first of two new significant rounds of amendments to the federal Competition Act, largely came into force.
May 16, 2024
On May 15, 2024, the Canadian Competition Bureau issued new guidance on drip pricing under the federal Competition Act (see: The Ambush of Hidden Fees).
Templates/precedents and checklists to run promotional contests in Canada
Templates/precedents and checklists to comply with Canadian anti-spam law (CASL)
